(Newser)
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Senate hopeful Al Franken is suing Minnesota counties to get the names and addresses of locals whose absentee ballots were rejected, the Star Tribune reports. Franken’s team is sweeping the state for such information in an effort to cut GOP Sen. Norm Coleman’s current 206-vote lead. A full state recount begins next week in the race, which could tip the balance of power in the Senate.

Two counties refused to comply with Franken’s request, spurring the lawsuit. Coleman’s campaign said Franken was “shamelessly trying to strong-arm local officials into counting invalid ballots.” A state official, meanwhile, said the law is clear: the rejected ballots won't be included in the hand recount.